Chapter 121: The Masked Horsemen
---Katherine---
We walked around town, hoping to buy a horse or two, but in the end we were only able to buy an old gray mare named Cindy and a skinny mule considered unfit for farm work. Even so, it cost us thirty gold coins. Charles wanted to sit on the tame mare, so Aaron rode with him while Christina and I rode on the mule. We weren't able to travel at a fast speed, but at least we didn't have to walk anymore.
As the animals trotted along, Aaron opened one of the maps and studied it. "Kath, we're actually not far from Ravenstone," he said, tracing our path with one finger. "We're only a few villages away. After that, we can follow the path straight up to the Northern Mountains."
"Any major obstacles between here and Ravenstone?" I asked.
"Well, we'll have to pass through a couple of hills and forests." Aaron squinted at the map. "They don't look that bad."
I had flashbacks to our encounters with hills and forests. Bad things always happened there. "Can't we go around?"
"Nope. That's the only way to Ravenstone, unless you want to take a longer route that curves towards the heart of Crystallea. If we go that way, though, we'll probably get to the Northern Mountains by late next spring if we're lucky." Aaron's answer made my heart sink.
"Is it dangerous to go into mo…mo…there?" Charles tried to read the name of a location but decided to point at it instead. Aaron ruffled his hair lovingly.
"Mount Saxosis," Aaron offered. "Don't worry, Charles. Kath and I will protect you and your sister. It will be a piece of cake."
* * * * *
"Do you still think this is a piece of cake?!" I shouted at Aaron as I brandished my sword with one hand and tightened my grip around Christina with the other. I stared down our opponents, preparing for another attack.
"I was wrong, okay, I was wrong!" Aaron turned the mare so that he was facing the opposite way and covering my back.
Mount Saxosis, meaning "rocky hills", lived up to its namesake. It looked like two giant heaps of rock dropped onto the otherwise flat landscape, as if a giant had grabbed two fistfuls of boulders to play with but had forgotten about it. They were too wide to go around and too dangerous to climb, leaving us with the only option of going between the two hills. Parts of the hill were vertical and covered with vines. Other parts were sloping and had a thin layer of grass growing on top. The passage between the hills was shadowy and cool, as sunlight did not strike the area. We trotted through, hoping to pass quickly, but were intercepted by a group of masked horsemen.
There were ten of them, all holding weapons of various kinds. Their faces were covered with black cloth so that only their steely eyes were visible. They wore mismatched clothing that reminded me of the poor. However, the men all looked very well-fed and well-built. 'Maybe the clothing was part of their disguise.' They charged out and surrounded us in a circle, leaving us surprised and perplexed.
"Who are you? Why have you blocked our path?" I asked, trying to sound confident. "We are travelers who are passing by. We mean no harm."
One of the horsemen pointed at Charles, who shrunk back into Aaron's arms. "Who is this child?"
"He's our cousin," Aaron said defensively. "What do you want from us?"
The horseman narrowed his gaze, scrutinizing us up and down. I tried to not show my fear. 'What if Lord Victor had sent these men? Do they know who we are?'
"He and the girl look very similar to the children we're looking for," the horseman finally said. "They are the only surviving descendants of Frederick Hamlyn, who was a dear friend of our lord. The children are orphaned, and our lord graciously wants to take them under his care."
Aaron and I exchanged a look. Dear friend? Take them under his care? We didn't believe a single word they said.
"They're not orphaned," Aaron responded coldly. "They are our cousins, and we're returning home right now. You've got the wrong people."
The horseman ignored Aaron and fixed his gaze on Charles. "What's your name, child?"
Charles trembled, clearly frightened. I felt Christina stiffen. "His name is Zachary, and my name is Reyna. We're just children of a small merchant." She answered for her brother.
The horseman turned to look at Christina. "Zachary and Reyna, eh? But you two match the description perfectly: a young girl of about seven, a young boy of about five, both with blonde hair, and one with blue eyes. Who's to say you haven't made up a name?"
"There are a lot of children around that age and with blonde hair and blue eyes," I snapped. "You have mistaken us for the wrong people. Please, just let us pass."
"I'm sorry, but we'll have to take the children back to our lord for confirmation," the horseman said without a hint of being sorry. He stuck out a hand. "Give us the children, and the two of you can pass unharmed."
"In your dreams!" Aaron tightened his arm around Charles. "We are not giving our cousins to some suspicious people who probably want to kill them!"
"Suit yourself. Men, get the children!" The horseman, apparently the leader, waved his arms. Several men galloped forward to grab the children from us.
"Hold on tight!" I shouted to Christina before pulling out my sword and fighting off the attacking horsemen. They didn't expect a fight, and two of them toppled off their rides in surprise. Meanwhile, Aaron was busy cutting down anyone who got close to him. Soon, most of the horsemen were sprouting bleeding wounds on their limbs.
"Let us pass, or there will be dead people here today," I said through gritted teeth. Aaron readied his sword and glared at the horsemen. I had a strong suspicion that these people were working for Lord Victor. If so, they cannot leave here alive.
The leading horseman snarled. "The only people dead will be you and your friend, little girl. Men, let's get rid of these two annoying teenagers."
The masked horsemen circled closer, their weapons flashing. They were skilled, but I was better trained. Ordering Christina to close her eyes, I stabbed someone through the stomach, and then slashed someone across the chest as he tried to stab me in the back. I turned back and just barely blocked an oncoming strike. Christina yelped as the tremor from the force of the hit was transmitted to her. I would've easily defeated the masked horsemen easily with two swords and a good steed, but I had to hold Christina with one arm, and the mule I was sitting on was not very responsive to my commands. If we kept this up, Aaron and I were going to lose.
"Aaron, we have to get out of here!" I shouted over the clanging of metals.
"Alright, let's jump steeds!" He yelled back. I focused my attention on my newest attacker, who was also brandishing a sword. With several strikes in quick succession, I had stabbed him through the chest and shoved him off his horse. Then with all my might, I leapt up from my mule with Christina in my arm and landed squarely on the saddle of the abandoned horse.
"Hi-yah!" I spurred the horse forward. Looking over my shoulder, I saw that Aaron was right behind me, Charles wrapped in his strong arm. Behind him, half of the masked men were lying on the ground, unmoving. The other half, wounded but still on their horses, raced down the path on their horses to chase after us.
Weekly Power Status
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